Why my Hair gets Frizzy after Washing

Does your hair get poofy and unmanageable after a shower? Here are some tips on how to stop frizzy hair after washing!

Do you sometimes envy people who have “good hair days”, everyday! Well, I for sure do, because I am definitely not one of those people.

No frizz, no flyaways and just the perfect hair to try out any style of their choice, sounds amazing right?

Frizzy hair is something everybody detests and after a hair wash, the frizziness of hair increases making it stand horribly. 

To add to it, if you are someone who lives in a place with a humid climate, then you’re definitely going to be prone to more frizzy hair.

Well, what if I told you there are ways to solve this issue of hair frizzing out?

Yep! You can soon be on the road to having the perfect tresses just like those of the ones you envy. Sounds good, right?

Go ahead and read this article as it will tell you all about frizzy hair and how it is caused. 

I’ve also explained what happens to the hair strand when the hair frizzes out and how you can solve this problem of frizziness on the whole.

What is frizzy hair?

Frizzy hair is usually the result of hair that dries up due to the lack of moisture. 

This causes the hair to feel rough and look dried and begins to rise up, standing apart from the other strands of hair.

How to Stop Frizzy Hair After Washing

Let’s look into some of the methods you can use to reduce frizz formation:

Washing hair with cold or lukewarm water

I’m sure the words “cold water” doesn’t sound as good and as refreshing as hot water, when it comes to having a head shower.  

But on the other hand, hot showers can open up the hair cuticle leading to hair dryness and frizz. So what do you choose then?

Well, I’ve got the perfect solution for you! 

Since cold showers aren’t always conducive to everyone, you can wash your hair with warm or lukewarm water (definitely not hot, that’s a big no). And then follow up with rinsing your hair with cold water.

This gets rid of all the dirt, grime and product buildup, and makes you feel refreshed at the same time. 

All you need to do is turn down the temperature of the water and let the cold water flow on your hair for a few minutes before you get out of the shower.

This practice will help close the cuticles on the hair strand, trapping in the moisture and reducing the appearance of frizz.

Use the right products

Using a moisturizing shampoo or finishing off with a good conditioner can help reduce frizz to a large extent. 

Choosing shampoos that do not contain harsh ingredients and chemicals should be your first choice.

But, in case you do choose chemical based shampoos then choosing shampoos that contain SLES (and not SLS) will be a better option.

SLES or sulfosuccinates can be more hydrating than other types of shampoos as they do not completely strip the hair off the hair’s natural oils.

Here's a great shampoo for frizzy hair you can use:

Redken Frizz Dismiss Shampoo

That being said, shampoos do strip away the hair’s natural oils to some extent. 

So using a good conditioner can help trap in the moisture and keep the hair hydrated. 

Conditioners are meant to make the hair more manageable and can reduce the appearance of frizz. 

It helps keep the hair strand protected from external damage by acting as a protective layer over the hair strand. 

Therefore, when you use a conditioner, only use it on your hair and not on your scalp.

Oiling hair regularly

This practice is very important especially for those whose hair is prone to frizz. 

The products we use can often be drying and strip the hair of its natural oil. Therefore, we need to replenish this oil by oiling our hair externally. 

Application of warm oil on your hair and gently massaging it in can help the hair regain its lost oils and will keep it hydrated.

This ultimately reduces frizz as the oil will penetrate into the hair shaft and smooth the open cuticle down. 

Heat protect your hair when using any hair styling tools

Blow drying your hair after a shower may seem like the easiest and quickest way to get your hair dry in no time. 

Well, heat treatment or use of any heat styling tools like blow dryers, curling irons, flat irons or straighteners are also sources of direct and harsh heat on your hair cuticle.

As soon as the hair cuticle comes in contact with high temperatures, the cuticle opens up and the hair strand loses its moisture and begins to dry up. 

Well, if you were wondering how a blow dryer makes your wet hair dry up so quickly, you now know.

So to prevent hair from drying out, we require to use a heat protectant product that comes in the form of gels, creams, sprays or serums that simply need to be applied onto the hair before the use of any sort of heat treatment. 

These heat protectant products are designed to coat the hair strand by smoothening the cuticle and locking in the moisture.

This will prevent the hair from drying out even with the use of heat. 

And consequently, it will prevent the formation of frizz and also protect the hair from damage.

General tips for getting rid of frizzy hair

Apart from the major methods that can help reduce frizz, there are some other aspects that also contribute to hair frizziness. 

Following these general tips too can help reduce hair frizziness to a large extent.

Satin or silk pillowcases

Using satin or silk pillow cases are always recommended, especially for those with dry and frizzy hair types.

These help you avoid the friction that occurs between the hair strands caused by any movement when we sleep. 

For those who do not have satin or silk pillow cases, you can just loosely wrap your hair in a satin or silk scarf before you go to sleep.

Air drying of hair or usage of hair diffusers

Letting your hair dry out naturally after a shower, rather than using a blow dryer is always recommended. 

In cases where you require to dry your hair out quicker, then you can either use the cold setting on your blow dryer to speed things up.

I also suggest investing in a hair diffuser nozzle attached to your blow dryer to control the flow of the air and reduce the disruption of the hair cuticle.

Use finishing sprays or serums

Setting sprays or finishing sprays and serums can be applied once you’ve finished styling your hair. 

These products help tame frizz and hold the hair in place.

Use a wide-toothed hair comb

Using a comb with its bristles far apart makes the hair strands pass through it more easily, avoiding any sort of friction between the strands.

This will help reduce the hair from fraying or becoming frizzy.

What happens to the hair strand that makes it frizzy?

Let me get into a little bit of the anatomy of the hair strand in order to help you understand this a little better. 

So, each of our hair strands have scale-like structures that face downwards and overlap each other on the outermost layer of the hair strand or the cuticle. 

These structures are the most important because it is the protective layer of the hair strand. It allows moisture to enter or get trapped within.

Therefore, when the hair cuticle gets raised (which can occur due to multiple reasons, as you’ll read below) there is scope for excess entry of moisture.

This makes it easier for moisture to escape, causing the hair to become dry and frizzy. 

If the cuticle is closed, the frizz lessens. When the cuticle is open, your hair gets all poofy!

What are the causes of frizzy hair?

There can be several reasons why your hair’s turning frizzy after washing. Some of these include:

Weather: Well, this one is something that I’ve already mentioned before and yes, humid climates can make your hair more prone to getting frizzy. 

This is because in humid climates, the moisture in the atmosphere is more. 

The moisture breaks through the hair cuticle and makes the hair strand swell because of the increased moisture content, leaving the hair frizzy.

Hair type: If your hair is curly or wavy, then the natural oil of the hair doesn’t easily slide down the entire hair strand, lessening the moisture and making the hair dry out and look frizzy.

Temperature of water: The temperature of the water you use to wash your hair with too, plays an important role. 

The hotter the temperature of the water you use, the more prone your hair will be to frizz. 

Using hot water can make your hair cuticle open up and therefore the hair can lose the trapped moisture, in turn making the hair look damaged and frizzy.

Using heat-based styling tools: The types of hair styling tools you use like blow dryers, flat irons, etc. can be damaging to the hair. 

This is because the heat makes the moisture in the hair strand dry up as the heat raises the structures on the hair cuticle.

Long gaps between haircuts: Irregularity of having haircuts or hair trims can also cause frizzing as the split ends can travel up your hair strand, making the hair look less smoother and more drier. 

Therefore consider trimming your hair at least once in a couple of months.

Also get your haircuts freshened up once in three to four months, as it will help get rid of split ends and reduce the hair from fraying and becoming frizzy.

Over-washing: Washing of hair too frequently can increase hair frizziness as the hair’s natural oils get stripped off the hair, making it feel dry and dehydrated. 

Therefore, reducing the number of hair washes to twice or thrice a week (and maybe using a dry shampoo in between washes) can help reduce frizz, by retaining the hair’s natural oils.

Does frizzy hair occur only after hair washes?

People often think that washing their hair can be one of the main causes of frizz formation and requires more care. 

Well, in my opinion, frizz formation can be due to various reasons. But it can be avoided by proper care.

And by care I don’t just mean just after a hair wash, but this care includes hair care and styling that occur in between every hair wash.

The final takeaway

Getting rid of frizz can be a hassle for sure and therefore, using methods to keep frizz at bay is always more recommended than trying to get rid of frizz once it appears. 

Using the right techniques and proper hair care like the ones mentioned in this article can definitely help solve your issues with hair frizz.